Researchers with Brazil’s Fundecitrus discussed HLB-related topics at the recent 15th International Citrus Conference in South Korea.
Fundecitrus’ Franklin Behlau participated in the section of papers related to HLB, also known as citrus greening disease. Most of the papers provided updates on the disease situation in different locations, including Florida, China, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Iran and Brazil. Behlau discussed the greening situation in the Citrus Belt of Brazil’s São Paulo and Triângulo/Sudoeste Mineiro, management strategies developed by Fundecitrus and partners, trends for the future, mitigation strategies and the characteristics of new orchards.
Behlau also shared results of research developed by Fundecitrus in 2023. The studies evaluated the use of gibberellic acid and auxin to reduce premature fruit drop in orange trees affected by greening.
Behlau recently told a Florida audience how Brazil’s citrus crop is suffering from heat and HLB this season; learn more about that discussion here.
Fundecitrus researcher Nelson Wulff participated in the discussion section on biotechnology. “We talked about the work that Fundecitrus has been developing with orange trees that repel (greening-spreading) psyllids,” Wulff said. “These plants are essential for building the orchard of the future, which will be more sustainable in combating greening.”
Wulff also recently signed a technical cooperation agreement between Fundecitrus and the National Center for Genetic Resources for a project to develop biotechnological solutions for HLB; learn about that here.
Eduardo Girardi, a researcher from Embrapa Cassava and Fruit, also participated in the conference as part of the Fundecitrus delegation. Girardi presented data from studies on the development of greening in canopy varieties grafted onto alternative citrus rootstocks.
The International Citrus Conference in South Korea brought together almost 600 people, including researchers, professors, students and citrus growers. Almost 400 papers were presented over the six days of the meeting.
Source: Fundecitrus
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